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Helping local residents access outpatient medical, behavioral, social, and educational services.
Community Health Workers (CHWs) work in their communities to help residents access relevant care and health-related services. CHWs are on the frontline, understanding their communities’ unique needs and connecting them to vital services. New York State has the highest number of employed CHWs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with 6,590 CHWs as of May 2018.
However, there are only 0.7 CHWs for every 1,000 patients. Value-based payments (VBPs) allow healthcare institutions and community organizations to employ CHWs and provide services that may not be covered in fee-for-service systems. This improves service quality and accuracy, local healthcare economies, and the overall well being of community members.
According to healthaffairs.org, tapping into the Community Health Workers workforce has the potential to bring improvements across multiple sectors invested in collaborative community health:
- traditionally underserved individuals will receive increased access to services, including those that can improve factors related to social determinants of health;
- whole communities will have better resources to improve health cohesively and comprehensively;
- health care delivery systems can benefit from the skills, community knowledge and cultural competency that CHWs possess in order to connect with those at risk for poor health outcomes; and
- public and private payers may see reductions in total health care spending.
Community Health Workers benefit all, as they have filled an important social care gap with success. As healthcare continues to address the social determinants of health, it must understand its community partners in the process. Efforts will require assistance from community health workers who can connect high-need patients with community resources. It’s time to make CHWs a priority.
CHW role in NYS Medicaid Redesign Waiver
The NYS Medicaid Redesign team recognizes the vital role CHWs bring to value-based payment healthcare delivery systems and are requiring all Value Management Organizations (also known as PPSs) to implement the following CHW related high-priority focus areas as part of their renewal application:
1. Care Coordination, Care Management and Care Transitions – Specifically through hot spotting, development of transitional care teams, and leveraging telehealth.
2. Addressing Social Needs, Community Partnerships and Cross-Sector Collaborations – Specifically, through Utilizing Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Linking to SDHN High-P4riority Social Care.
In order for VMOs to address these high-priority needs effectively, they need…
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We take the time to get to know our your needs, so that we can effectively unite your community health worker objectives with creative solutions.
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We can help you engage the future workforce and attract quality talent by thinking outside the box and bringing new solutions to the table.
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We can help you reduce turnover by implementing an employee digital experience platform that provides seamless access to job specific information, resources, and communication tools.
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We can help you meet your training delivery outcomes by providing a robust and highly customizable learning management system, online compliance trainings, and leadership development workshops.
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